Email marketing is old news, isn’t it? We’ve been doing it forever.
That might be so, but it’s still the best way to reach and win customers. Did you know the buying process happens 3 times faster in email than in social media? And according to the same McKinsey & Company study, email marketing is 40 times more effective than using Insta, Facebook or Twitter to get some conversions under your belt.
But this comes with a caveat. Email marketing only works if it’s good. Your emails have to seriously engage with your readers to be noticed; boring content doesn’t stand out in noisy inboxes and will be ignored or deleted.
Here are 6 ways to make your emails more engaging.
Know Them Inside Out
You’ll have read it a thousand times by now… ‘Know your target market’, ‘Understand your customer persona’… Blah blah blah.
It’s such a dry and obvious statement. Of course you need to have a handle on your ideal customer.
But. And it’s a big but. How deep have you gone? Age, gender, location… Sure. You’ve probably taken those factors into account. You’ve also likely got one or two of their worries pegged, too. But could you tell me exactly how they’re feeling at each point of their buying journey? Could you name those emotions?
Are you able to describe their dreams to me? Their hopes for the future? The stresses and pains that sit quietly on their chest – which they might not be fully aware of – will impact their buying behaviour, too.
By taking a deep dive into your customers’ personalities, you can write great content and sculpt the perfect sales funnel, just for them. Find out who you should have on your email list in this recent blog.
Keep It Light
Imagine you are sitting in front of your recipient. What would you say? How would you say it?
Write your emails like you are talking in person. Remember – you’re trying to connect with a human being, not a computer screen. Make your emails flow, with shorter sentences, questions and emotion. And don’t pay 100% attention to correct grammar; we don’t speak how we type.
Grab Attention First (And Length Matters)
The subject line of your email is so important to get right. It’s the gateway to getting in front of your recipient with their full attention. You can read up on how to nail subject lines here.
Writing engaging, intriguing subject lines is a big part of the battle, but don’t forget to keep an eye on the length of your email. Would you have time to read an essay-come-email? Didn’t think so. Your potential customers’ inboxes are full, and they move pretty fast. If something doesn’t speak to them, it’ll be gone in a flash. And if they’ve gone so far as to open your email only to find it drags on or bores them, you can wave goodbye to that prospect.
Storytelling Is A Powerful Tool
Content needs to be human, engaging and valuable for your readers to be able to connect with it. Dry, cold emails are an instant turn-off and simply won’t work. Working out how that translates into writing emails so that your subscribers read, click and share them can feel overwhelming.
One way to help illuminate your content is to use stories, anecdotes, analogies and metaphors. These language tools help to build trust and entertainment whilst quietly selling to your audience. Check out this blog for a more in-depth look at storytelling in email marketing.
Include Visuals
Whilst some of your subscribers won’t mind text-only emails, where you use the wonder of words to connect with them, many people prefer emails to include images, graphs and icons (if appropriate). It’s worth A/B testing this to see if your audience has a preference.
Inject Your Personality
When you’re communicating with your subscribers, you need to sound like you. You, and what you stand for, are why they’re sticking around and why they’ll part with their hard-earned pennies when you ask them to buy.
Your voice can easily get lost if someone else is doing your email marketing for you, so if that’s the case make sure to personally sign off on anything going out to your lists to make sure you’re happy with the tone and content.
Engaging Emails Get Opened… (Boring Emails Don’t)
And if a subscriber has opened your email, and it’s full of relevant, high-value content, you’ve got a good chance of keeping their attention. Keep it light, keep it short and keep your prospects intrigued.
Creating a new campaign and feeling a bit overwhelmed? Finding it hard to slim down the text in your latest mailer? Book a call with me for a friendly ear and a world of inside knowledge.
